ON Saturday, December 6 Dinas Powys FC faced Barry Town with Barry winning 3-1. The match ball was kindly sponsored by The Royal India.

Dinas Powys FC gives support to the campaign to end Violence Against Women.

Despite the visitors being top of the Division Two table it was Dinas who took the game to Barry and had them camped in their own half for much of the first 20 minutes.

A cross from Luke Swaffield in the first couple of minutes was gathered by Barry's keeper Dan Bradley and this was followed in the sixth minute by Keiron James dispossessing a defender and laying the ball off to King Junior Mwedzo whose shot from an acute angle hit the side netting.

Barry had a half-chance when, from a throw in, striker Anthony Nagi got a shot away which Dinas keeper Alex Hales gathered. But it was Dinas at this stage keeping the ball better and they forced three corners on the trot before Barry finally cleared the danger to break away down the right wing with Theo Richards, Rhys James and Jamie Bradford all involved but in the end Hales managed to grab the ball.

A further chance came Barry's way, Bradford playing Nagi in but his effort was well wide of the left upright.

However, despite the early dominance by Dinas it was Barry who opened the scoring when Hales came to gather a free kick by Paul McClean and didn't get anywhere near it leaving Ryan Evans to head into an empty net for the opener on 20 minutes.

Dinas kept plugging away and a good cross from Ben Ah-Mun found Carlos Indjai in a one on one situation with Bradley who rushed off his line to smother the danger as Indjai was about to lob him. Keiron James (who was having a fine game) then got a shot away which hit a defender and went out for another Dinas corner which Barry eventually managed to clear after some determined pressure by the home side.

The hosts were then awarded a free kick from 30 yards which Nicky Bruce took hard and low the ball going straight through to Bradley to collect.

Hales was then called into action after a clearance by James Marr was intercepted by Nagi bringing a good save from the Dinas keeper.

Ben Ah-Mun was then one on one with Bradley but again the experienced Barry keeper just got to the ball first. Mwedzo was then fouled close to the right touch line, Bruce putting the free kick onto the head of Atif Bashir but his effort was off target. Just on half-time Dinas were made to pay for not taking any of their chances when Rhys James played Nagi in, his first shot cannoned back to him off the left post but he made no mistake the second time to give Barry a somewhat flattering 2-0 lead at the interval.

The visitors forced a couple of early corners which the Dinas defence dealt with and, with just four minutes of the second period gone, Dinas pulled a goal back. Ben Ah-Mun was played in out wide on the left, he beat his marker and fired in a low curling shot which hit the inside of the far post and went in to give the home side a life-line.

Barry were beginning to look dangerous again and Nagi put in an excellent cross which was over Hales head but Nicky Bruce swept the ball out for a corner as the Barry front men closed in.

The game was end to end at this stage and Indjai whipped in a cross which Ben Ah-Mun got his head to but his effort was just wide of the post.

From a Barry corner the ball came out to Evans but, despite hitting a powerful effort it was just over the bar.

A sweeping move from Dinas involving Luke Swaffield, Sam Johnson and Indjai produced a corner which was unproductive and a speculative shot from 30 yards by Ah-Mun was off target although Dinas were still matching their high-flying opponents with the only difference being Barry are more clinical in front of goal. A cross by Johnson ended with a looping header by Indjai which Bradley took at full stretch under his cross-bar.

Then disaster struck for Dinas with just five minutes remaining when Swaffield was adjudged, somewhat harshly the Dinas contingent felt, to have brought a Barry player down in the box, the referee pointing to the spot. Rhys James took the penalty and tucked it just inside the post despite Hales guessing the right way to make it 3-1.

Dinas then brought on three subs with Mamadu Banguraso, Rhodri Foote and James Alloway replacing Ah-Mun, Swaffield and Mwedzo but time ran out and, despite the scoreline, manager Lee Saunders was proud of his young side who put in a gutsy performance.

Dinas squad: 1 Alex Hales, 2 Luke Swaffield, 3 Nicky Bruce, 4 James Marr, 5 Steve Provis (c), 6 Atif Bashir, 7 Keiron James, 8 Sam Johnson, 9 King Junior Mwedzo, 10 Ben Ah-Mun (1), 11, Carlos Indjai, 12 Mamadu Banguraso, 14 Rhodri Foote, 15 James Alloway.

On Saturday, December 13 Dinas travel to take on Llanwern with a 2pm kick off.

Peter King